As of 2008, 6.2 million Americans were
reported for prescription drug abuse.
Combine that with the high volume of
controlled prescriptions written by Staten
Island doctors and it raises the question:
Who needs a drug dealer when you
have your friendly neighborhood physician?
The 2008 National Survey on Drug
Use and Health (NSDUH), which was
released September 2009, reported that
2.5% or 6.2 million Americans over the
age of 12 had used prescription drugs
for non-medical reasons. Of those prescriptions, 1.9% were classified as opiate painkillers, such as OxyContin and
Vicodin. With all of the prescription drug
abuse cases that have occurred in
Staten Island, the accessibility of these
drugs concerns doctors and pharmacists
alike.
Marissa Maurino, a physician assistant in the Pain Management Center at
the Health Care Associates of New York
Medicine, writes about eight to ten prescriptions for painkillers daily.
“I treat a lot of young people who
come here after seeing their primary
doctor,” said Maurino. “It should not be

A 2008 report states that 2.5% of Americans over age 12 abused prescription drugs.
“Teens and gangsters are stealing it from the parents,” said Dr. Ramachandran Nair.
left in the hands of the primary doctor to
decide to give the patient these drugs
but should be left for pain management
to make that decision.”
Pain management centers like
Health Care Associates take certain
measures to attempt to prevent prescription drug abuse. They include a urine
toxicology report before medicine can be
dispensed. Other methods of prescription drug abuse prevention include the

push for physical therapy, exercise, psychological evaluations and non-controlled anti-inflammatory prescriptions.
Many of the patients who are sent to
a pain management center have already
become addicted to painkillers because
of their primary doctors. This makes
things tougher for pain management
clinics as they struggle to find ways to
wean patients off the medications.
Continued on page 4

How You Can Dodge The Flu
Preparing for the H1N1
Virus on Campus

BY JOHN ADRIAN
ARTS EDITOR

Last Spring’s premier political football,
the H1N1 virus, is, we are told, set for a
come-back this fall.
As of this writing, a vaccine to protect
against Swine Flu (which has practically
nothing to do with pigs) is being tested.
Hopefully it will be available by late Fall
2009.
It is expected that the H1N1 vaccine
will require two inoculations to fully protect you from the virus. These two shots
will be in addition to the regular flu shot
you should get every fall.
Terianne Darragh, R.N., Director of
the CSI Campus Health Center said, in
August, that she had no information on
shots for H1N1 or the regular flu at that
time. She expected to know more about
CUNY’s plans by late September.
In the meantime, she suggested
consulting the Centers for Disease

Photo by Collegian.com

Control and Prevention website,
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/, for up-todate information.
Among the more salient points are
that anyone who falls into one or more of
these categories should be inoculated
against H1N1 because they are considered to be ‘at risk’:
n Pregnant women.
n Household contacts and caregivers for children under six months.
Continued on page 3

CSI released its 2009 Annual Safety
Report, showing few changes in the college’s long streak of low crime. However,
among the low-profile incidents that did
increase, burglary jumped from none to
a total of 10 incidents from 2006 to 2008.
No robberies were reported, only
burglaries. What constitutes these misdemeanors is the subject of contention
among some students, who feel that burglary is an all-too-common phenomenon
on campus.
A report put out by President Tomás
Morales said an Israeli flag was discovered on the outside of 1-L’s second
story. According to the report, “The flag
had been defaced with a swastika and
anti-Israeli statements.” Public Safety
discovered the flag on September 19th,
and is working with NYPD.
In another campus alarm, a female
CSI student was harassed by a male
student. On September 8th, a female
student was approached by a male student and was asked the time. As she
went to check her phone for the time, the
male grabbed her arm. According to the
release, “The female student yelled several times ‘get off me.’ When another
student entered the stairwell, the suspect released the female and fled out the
exit door.”
College students across the nation
have also followed the murder of Yale
University graduate student Annie Le.
At CSI, reported incidents are
recorded in the Daily Crime Log at the
Public Safety Office. But anecdotal
reports of burglary are not always reported. How CSI classifies a burglary is also
in dispute amongst some students—are
missing locker items cause for identifying the incidence as a burglary? Or are
only more serious cases rendered as
such?
Public Safety’s website does not yet
clarify its classification of crimes, except
to say that “crime statistics for this report
are compiled on a calendar year basis
and in accordance with the definitions
provided by the FBI for use in Uniform
Crime Reporting (UCR) system.”
Public Safety has increased its presence with some changes. One noticeable implementation in the Fall 2009
Continued on page 3

Presents the

American Democracy Project

STATE OF
THE
UNION

A Statement of Principles for the
American Democracy Project by
the Page’s New Editor
BY MICHAEL YOUNG
ADP EDITOR

On November 4th, 2008, New Yorkers
went to the polls and voted for their next
president. While the other four boroughs
voted Democrat, Staten Island voted
John McCain.
Uh oh, you’re probably thinking. The
American Democracy Project has been
taken over by liberals.
Discussing the election, a friend of
mine, who lives in Queens and attends
Hunter College, said, “Shouldn’t that be
reason alone for Staten Island to secede
from the city?”
Maybe I’m being a bit harsh. John
McCain is a man of principle, and I
understand his messages resonate with
a more conservative population. But the
point is this- can we prove that our borough can enter the debate in a well-considered, nuanced way, and not fall into
the same stereotype?
Here at The Banner, we have had
our share of conservative writers.
When Barack Obama stepped into
office, inheriting the worst financial crisis
since men wore Stetson hats in public,
Banner writers clamored endlessly
about Obama’s smooth, silky, deceptive
rhetoric.
Enough rants that shout, “open your
eyes, people!” into the void. This year,
let’s try to have an intelligent debate
about politics and current events, both
national and local. We encourage both
sides of the debate, as long as partisan
views are thoughtful and weigh the pros
and cons of an argument.
I would love for people to write letters
to the editor, contribute editorials, and
participate
in
the
discussion.
Regardless of your level of expertise,
your opinion is valued here. If you are a
freshman, come on board! People at
The Banner care about giving a voice to
CSI, and our editor-in-chief, Bill Kline,
works very hard at reporting, selecting
dedicated writers, and writing high-quality stories.
The Banner is your school newspaper, so take ownership of it. Keep reading!

As five different health care reform bills
float around Congress, President
Obama is hurriedly supplying his bait for
60 fishing lures.
On Wednesday, September 9,
Obama gave a speech to a joint session
of Congress—the first joint session convened since the winter months—as a
last ditch effort to reach across the aisle
and make a legitimate plea for health
reform.
His words: “I’m not the first President
to try getting health reform passed, but
I’m determined to be the last.”
The Republicans were easy to distinguish among the sea of people in the
crowd, with their slouched posture and
sour faces. One member was on his
Blackberry, presumably Twittering his
distaste for the plan, while another held
a hand-scribbled “What plan?” sign on
his lap.
What plan? Obama was determined
to tell us.
The president and his planning committees are aiming to implement a marketplace system, in which the public can
choose from a menu of private insurance
plans as well as a public option, an
affordable government-run healthcare
plan to compete with the private insurers. The Baucus Bill, which seems to
be gaining the most traction in
Congress, does not contain that public
option, a measure which would have
kept the other companies in check.
Obama raised a great comparison.
The existence of affordable, public universities, such as CUNY, does not affect
enrollment at private colleges. Why
should a public option severely threaten
the private insurers? But all hope isn’t
lost.
The reform in the Baucus Bill would
serve an important purpose by creating
incentives for doctors and hospitals to
provide preventative treatments. It would
prevent insurance companies from dropping their aging, debilitated clients who
need healthcare the most and denying

THE BAUCUS BILL

Photo by Collegian.com

coverage on the basis of pre-existing
conditions. These provisions seem to at
least meet some of Obama’s minimum
requirements for an autograph.
This plan is not the shift to socialism
that conservatives feared and progressives may have wanted, but it does create a web-based, competitive marketplace. Sounds like free-market capitalism isn’t going anywhere.
It almost sounds like a pragmatic
solution to one of the most serious problems our country faces. In an editorial
written the day of Obama’s address,
“New York Times” columnist Thomas
Friedman wrote that while a single-party
autocracy, as seen in China, allows
things to operate smoothly, a singleparty democracy does not work. With
Republicans
almost
unanimously
against health reform, Obama needs to
win over at least a few of them to get the
OVERVIEW:

n Cost: $856 billion
n Seeks to reduce the number of
uninsured by 29 million in a
decade.
n Many of the bill’s major provisions will not take effect until

Photo by AP

Senator Max Baucus (D- Mont)
Senate Finance Committee

2013, or after next election.

majority he needs, just in case any
Democrats flake out. Unfortunately, the
concession of the public option didn’t
attract Republican support.
Towards the end of his address,
Obama invoked the deceased Ted
Kennedy, one of the most tireless advocates for health care reform. Kennedy
wrote to Obama in the months before his
death, saying that health reform is a
moral issue, and the “character of our
country” is based on helping our fellow
man.
Perhaps both parties can find it in
themselves to be decent human beings,
not be swayed by conservative fear
mongering about death panels and endless waits at doctor’s offices, and ultimately support what is right. Let’s not
see health reform fail as it did in the during the Clinton administration. Not this
time.
AREAS OF CONTENTION:

EDITOR IN CHIEF
If you want to find a parking space at
CSI, come during Club Hours. On
Wednesday at 2:30 pm and Thursday at
1:30 pm, you’ll witness a mass exodus of
Ford Explorers and Honda Civics as the
campus empties. At this point, you’re
probably expecting a tirade on inadequate parking or student apathy. To a
large extent that’s probably correct, but
my intent is not to cast guilt or blame, but
to pose a running thesis, or at least
debunk a deeply entrenched myth.
There is a perception that CSI suffers because it lacks a sense of community. Many have defined the college as a
commuter school because many students simply come from their classes
and leave when they’re done. That theory would seemingly be demonstrable
on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Because of this, CSI supposedly lacks
that ‘college experience.’ Low turnout at
campus events, low enrollment in student clubs, and poor voter turnout for

Commuter vs. Community
Student Government elections often
serve as metrics. And so the stigma
sticks, that CSI has an apathetic student
body.
Many groups and individuals have
forged efforts to engage the college
community, or have at least offered
implausible solutions during random
drunken gatherings. “The college needs
a football team,” says one. “The college
should serve alcohol on campus,”
chimes another. “The college will be better when it gets dorms.”
“Residence Halls,” I correct them.
Don’t get me wrong. I think the
implementation of any of those halfbaked policies would elicit an enthusiastic response from students. If CSI introduced college football and student-discounted Heineken, all within walking distance, I’m fairly confident that The
Banner Opinion page would pledge its
support. I just think that the measure by
which we evaluate student engagement
at CSI is flawed. Not to mention the obvi-

ous trouble I foresee with proposing
those items to CUNY’s Board of
Trustees.
Those engaged in clubs and student
activities shouldn’t use their sphere as
the measuring stick for the rest of the
campus. As a leader of a student club, I
empathize with the struggle that one
wages to recruit impressionable students. I identify with the near-Pavlovian
methods it takes to elicit a response of
some club members. If you say pizza,
they will come. But the frustrations of a
student organization stem from the
flawed paradigm by which we view the
college.
We often view CSI as a case of Pink
Floyd’s “Us vs. Them.” ‘Us’ represents
the small but tight knit community of
Campus Center dwellers, and ‘them’
symbolizes the flock of exiles who desert
campus when Club activities occur. A
gulf separates these two far-fetched
worlds. On the contrary, I view CSI more
as a cluster of communities that some-

Annual Safety How To Dodge The Flu
Report
(continued from page 1)

(continued from page 1)
Public Safety outfit is the segway.
According to a Twitter update on
CSINEWS, the segways intend to
reduce Public Safety’s “carbon footprint”
and add visibility to the job.
Among other changes, the organization introduced new portable radios for
improved communications, as well as
smaller vehicles that eliminate congestion and improve overall speed. In addition, an improved website launched over
Summer 2009, with policies, messages,
tips, as well as the CSI Annual Safety
Report. An Anonymous Report can be
filed, thereby protecting the identity of
the witness. Among other things, the
website includes a new interface that
links to the Emergency Management
Plan—the master plan behind Public
Safety. According to the website, the
improved web site navigation can
advance communication between parents, students, and security personnel.
Students may opt into the schoolwide emergency system, CUNY A!ert, by
registering at the Public Safety website:
http://web.cuny.edu/news/alert.html.

n Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel.
n All people from six months
through 24 years of age.
n Persons aged 25 through 64 years
who have health conditions associated
with higher risk of medical complications
from influenza.
The CDC website also suggests:
“Take these everyday steps to protect your health:
Cover your nose and mouth with a
tissue when you cough or sneeze.
Throw the tissue in the trash after you
use it.
Wash your hands often with soap
and water, especially after you cough or
sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners
are also effective.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or
mouth. Germs spread this way.
Try to avoid close contact with sick
people.
If you are sick with flu-like illness,
CDC recommends that you stay home
for at least 24 hours after your fever is
gone except to get medical care or for
other necessities. (Your fever should be

STAFF

gone without the use of a fever-reducing
medicine.) Keep away from others as
much as possible to keep from making
others sick.”
“Spread of 2009 H1N1 virus is
thought to occur in the same way that
seasonal flu spreads. Flu viruses are
spread mainly from person to person
through coughing or sneezing by people
with influenza. Sometimes people may
become infected by touching something
– such as a surface or object – with flu
viruses on it and then touching their
mouth or nose.”
“The symptoms of 2009 H1N1 flu
virus in people include fever, cough, sore
throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches,
headache, chills and fatigue.”
“People infected with seasonal and
2009 H1N1 flu shed virus and may be
able to infect others from 1 day before
getting sick to 5 to 7 days after. This can
be longer in some people, especially
children and people with weakened
immune systems and in people infected
with the new H1N1 virus.”
For more information, visit the
Campus Health Office in 1C-112.

times overlap, but are nevertheless dispersed.
If CSI lacked a community, even the
unengaged wouldn’t see at least three
people they know every time they walk
from the cafeteria to the library. The
bootleg Starbucks wouldn’t overflow with
chatty and perky co-ed crews until closing. And there wouldn’t be an inside joke
among Communications students about
a professor so infamous, I don’t even
have to mention their name in print and
many of my classmates would guess the
name. And if they do, they know where
they can get a free slice of pizza every
Thursday at 1:30 pm.

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The Banner on Wordpress:
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Nationwide
n A twenty-year-old Cornell student

succumbed to complications related to
the H1N1 virus. Cornell reported that
“influenza-type illness” had been reported in 250 students.
n An outbreak at Washington State

University left at least 2,200 students
with flu-like symptoms, but has since
“tapered off.”
nI n order to stop the virus from spread-

ing, universities including St. John’s
University and Carnegie Mellon have set
aside quarantine areas for students
afflicted with the swine flu.
n More than half of the 189 colleges

that responded to a American College
Health Association survey reported the
existence of a swine flue case. The survey states that over 2,000 students have
fallen victim to the swine flu.

THE BANNER IS PUBLISHED BY THE STUDENTS OF THE COLLEGE OF STATEN ISLAND. ALL WORKS CONTAINED WITHIN THIS PUBLICATION ARE THE PROPERTY OF THEIR CREATORS,AND ARE
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OFFICE IS LOCATED AT 2800 VICTORY BLVD, BUILDING 1C, ROOM 228, STATEN ISLAND, NY, 10314. OUR NEWS BUREAU CAN BE REACHED AT (718) 982-3116 OR BY E-MAILING OUR EDITOR (The.BANNER.CSI@gmail.com) OR BY FAXING US AT 718 982-3087. FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION DIAL 718 982-3116. OPINIONS EXPRESSED HEREIN ARE THOSE OF THE WRITERS, AND ARE NOT NECESSARILY SHARED BY THE BANNER STAFF OR THE COLLEGE OF STATEN ISLAND. THE BANNER IS NOT A PUBLICATION OF THE COLLEGE OF STATEN
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3

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

Dr. No Pain, M.D.
(continued from page 1)
“Unfortunately, some doctors want to get rid of the
patient and their complaining, so they’ll just write the
prescription,” said Dr. Maurino.
Dr. Ramachandran Nair, a doctor who specializes
in infectious diseases at the Staten Island Medical
Center told a slightly different story.
“Teens and gangsters are stealing it from the parents,” said Dr. Nair. “When the doctor sees patient, it’s
a one to one thing and the doctor is not responsible
whether or not the patient chooses to take the medicine.”
The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) keeps
records of every prescription written by every doctor
and the DEA reserves the right to investigate a doctor
if suspicious activity is suspected. A statement, which
proves that the doctor is partially responsible for the

One Doctor Reported Writing Eight to
Ten Prescriptions for Painkillers a Day

patient’s decisions and can result in serious consequences for a physician.
Dr. Mathew Mani, an internist at Heartland Medical
Center, refuses to write controlled prescriptions for his
patients. “You want my honest opinion,” said Dr. Mani,
“They should ban it all together like marijuana and
cocaine.” The street value of prescription drugs doesn’t compare to other illicit drugs. “On the street,
Oxycontin goes for about $50 a pill and Vicodin is
about $10 to $20,” said Dr. Mani. “One bottle of
Oxycontin is equal to five joints of marijuana.”

Pharmacists are concerned about the accessibility
of these prescription drugs. Chain pharmacies, such
as Walgreens, CVS, and Rite-Aid and private pharmacies try their best to prevent prescription drug abuse.
Peter Sabados, a pharmacist who owns Woodrow
Pharmacy in Rossville, comes across 15 to 20 controlled prescriptions a day in his pharmacy. “This is definitely an issue and we constantly have to investigate
it,” said Sabados. Woodrow Pharmacy runs into problems with fake prescriptions four to five times a week,
with most of the people being males between the ages
of 18 to 30.
One step, which seeks to limit prescription drug
abuse, requires all scripts, including non-controls, to
require a bar code that must be scanned. This would
help prevent the over-prescribing of controlled medications. Some doctors deem that insufficient.
“We try our best to prevent these problems,” said
Sabados. “You have to make your own judgments
when filling these prescriptions.”
The 2008 NSDUH shows a slight decrease from
the 2007 report, which concluded that 6.9 million
Americans abused prescription drugs.. The Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration,
(SAMHSA) predicts that the number will not stay down
for long and the DEA must take further actions to put a
stop on this crime.
“[We] as a whole [have] to be careful when writing,
filling and taking prescriptions,” said Dr. Maurino. “We
all share the responsibilities of this issue and must
remain aware of it.”

Learning A Painful Lesson
Doctors have to be aware when they write controlled
prescriptions because if they are not careful then they
could run into trouble with the law. Just ask infectious
disease specialist, Dr. Ramachandran Nair.
Dr. Nair happened to practice internal medicine
until August 2003, when he was arrested and charged
for selling a controlled prescription to an undercover
DEA agent. As a result, Dr. Nair’s license was suspended for a total of three years and could not practice
internal medicine.
Dr. Nair is not the only doctor that has been guilty
of this crime and the DEA has been trying to keep a
tighter grip on these physicians.
Six years later, you can find Dr. Nair, who practices
in his office at the Staten Island Medical Center, doing
what he loves best. However, he remains wise when it
comes to prescribing medications. “It’s all about keeping proper record keeping,” said Dr. Nair.

4

Kenichi Iwama, Esq. was appointed as the new
Director of Compliance and Diversity at CSI. He is an
attorney with experience in Affirmative Action/Equal
Opportunity Employment, and education law. Prior to
CSI, he worked in the State Operated School district of
Jersey City in NJ.
Dr. E.K Park was recruited as the new Dean of
Research and Graduate Studies. His background is in
industrial experience in computer systems and software related projects. He is an accomplished scholar,
teacher and administrator. He is the founder of the
International Conference on Computer Communication
and the International Conference on Information and
Knowledge Management.

Lastly, Dr. Jerald Jones-Woolfolk, the new Vice
President for Student Affairs, holds a PhD in Urban
Higher Education, a Bachelor’s in Psychology from
Jackson State University and a Master of Science
degree in Counselor Education from Iowa State. She
has also won many professional awards and honors.
(CSItoday.net)
Fresh Faces At CSI: They’re Not Just Students
CSI added 43 new faculty members, all which have
advanced degrees, won awards, and have industry
experience that, Dr. William Fritz says, “…this diverse
group of experts is poised to make significant contributions to the College, CUNY, and their respective academic disciplines.” (CSItoday.net)

Compiled by Katiria Lopez

The Banner is looking for writers, editors, photographers, designers and cartoonists for this, and future semesters.
Newspaper and writing experience
are not necessary.
If you are interested in writing about
sports, hard news, the arts, movies, politics, music, sex, comedy, or just about
anything else, join the Banner team!
Submit your articles to 1C- 228, or
email them to:
The.BANNER.CSI@gmail.com.
Meetings are held every Thursday from
1:30 pm until 3:30 pm. Free Pizza!

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

Science & Technology

Biodiversity in the
University

Global Warming Endangers
Many Species That Inhabit CSI
BY BRIAN KATEMAN
SCIENCE WRITER
Have you ever observed swarms of
worms slithering on the sidewalk when it
rained on campus or taken notice of the
cow birds and robins soaring through the
sky?
A quick glance outside the window of
any academic classroom at CSI will
reveal a world that too often goes unnoticed. While biology lessons inside the
classroom would certainly help students
understand the relationship between
organisms and their environment, they
do not need to have a nuanced understanding of biology to recognize that a
massive biodiversity exists at the CSI.
Hundreds of species of varying degrees
of complexity, from insects to mammals,
share with us our glorious campus, and
thus deserve to be treated with as much

respect as we demand from one another. We, both human and non-human, are
all part of one ecosystem, and it is our
moral obligation that we coexist with one
another harmoniously.
Our campus is a microcosm of the
entire planet—we do not go to school in
a bubble. All the species that have made
a home for themselves at the CSI,
including us, are affected by the same
phenomena that jeopardize the stability
of ecosystems around the world. Among
these issues, global warming, a humaninduced rise in the global mean surface
temperature triggered largely by burning
fossil fuels, is a danger to the preservation of all biodiversity. Organisms facing
external temperature changes are
unable to adapt to their new environment
and may go extinct and disrupt natural
cycles. Some species of birds for example depend on wetlands that are being
dried up by global warming; other migratory birds travel thousands of miles to
find insects, which have unexpectedly

Systematic,
Hydromatic,
Nano-matic
Take that, Zune HD!
Huzzah!

BY ANDREW DiLORENZO
GEEK ON THE STREET

6

9.9.09. What does that mean exactly? Is
that a warning from Nostradamus
regarding the imminent perishing on
earth? Or could it be a marketing ploy to
open that new movie “9” from Tim Burton
and Timur Bekmambetov? Well no and
yes, respectively. Nostradamus warned
people for July 28th, 2099 at eleventyseven pm and “9” did open on that day.
But for us geeks out there, 9.9.09 is
known for the latest keynote event from
Apple Inc. On this day, we learn what is
making the cut for this Christmas and
what is getting the boot.
Held in San Francisco, the person
taking center stage in all this was Steve
Jobs, the CEO of Apple. Jobs made
headlines earlier in the year by announcing he would take a five-month leave of
absence to undergo a liver transplant.
Wearing his trademark black turtleneck
and jeans, the 54-year-old spoke with a
gravelly voice, but appeared excited.
Receiving a standing ovation from those
in attendance, Mr. Jobs said "I'm very

happy to be here with you all.” He
explained that he had received the liver
of a young adult who died in a car accident. "I wouldn't be here without such
generosity," he said, urging others to
become organ donors, too. He then
added “So I’m vertical, I’m back at Apple,
and loving every day of it.” After that, he
started talking about the new things
Apple planned, which include a price cut
to the iPod Touch and giving it more
gigabytes, adding a camera to the iPod
Nano, and releasing a new version of
iTunes.
The iPod Touch will get price cuts?
Stop the presses! (Wait, only our fearless leader, the mustachioed man Bill
Kline, can say that.) That’s right, they cut
the prices of the 8-gigabyte, which is
now at $199, as well as the 32-gigabyte
at $299. Unfortunately, the 16-gigabyte
did not make the cut, so we bid you
adieu. However, a new 64-gigabyte
Touch is out now at $399. What does it
do? The same things like the others, but
with more memory. On that same day,
Jobs also announced a free software
update to iPhone and touch users which
gives users a Genius playlist for your
applications based off of similar apps
you already have.
Jobs also mentioned that he wanted

had their breeding cycle several weeks
earlier. Without a habitat or food, these
precious birds may die. To combat global warming, we must not only accept
responsibility for its existence, but we
must also take an active involvement in
halting its pervasiveness.
It starts with recycling. Landfills produce a dangerous greenhouse gas
called methane, which heats up the
planet. Placing aluminum cans, glass
bottles, and pieces of paper into their
proper receptacle is therefore a painless
way to mitigate global warming. Despite
this fact, they are constantly discarded
into non-recycle receptacles on campus.
A recent study conducted at The
University of Oviedo showed that recycling among the participants was
inversely correlated with the distance
they had to walk—the more steps they
had to take to arrive at a recycling bin,
the less likely they were to recycle.
While the CSI would clearly benefit from
placing a recycling receptacle in every
room of every building, observation tells
me that one is guaranteed to exist on
every floor.
Let us examine a hypothetical stu-

the iPod Touch at the forefront of video
games. He described the iPod Touch as
a portable computer that will become a
major force in gaming, which is historically a weak spot for the company’s
computer business. Jobs also stressed
the success of games and applications
on both the iPod Touch and it’s big brother, the iPhone, comparing it with devices
like the PSP and the Nintendo DS.
The Touch wasn’t the only thing that
made created a buzz there. The iPod
Nano, Apple’s bastard child of MP3 players, also received a new makeover, with
a video camera. That’s right, kids. Now
you can listen to your Push Play and
Miley Cyrus music while shooting a standard “Facebook Mirror Pucker KissiPoo” video montage. It’s all the rage
nowadays. Starting at $149, it also offers
an integrated FM radio and a pedometer
to keep track while you’re working out.
But what about iTunes? What about
that program that Apple never pays
attention to, kind of like the kid in the
fourth grade that you never talked to nor
picked when playing softball? Well, it’s
your lucky day iTunes. Grab a bat,
because you are getting a makeover as
well. iTunes 9 boasts features, which
includes a greater ability to share music
and other digital content between multiple computers in a single home and a
feature called iTunes LP, which brings
additional content such as lyrics, videos
and artwork to albums purchased on the
site.

dent, who discards two cans of carbonated soda and one-glass Snapple bottle
into a non-recycle bin. Had this student
recycled these few objects, he would
have saved countless hours of otherwise
wasted energy. How many exactly?
Help-Stop-Global-Warming.com
offers a measure to help put the saving
energy power of recycling into perspective. Two aluminum cans would save
enough energy to run a television for
over six hours. One glass bottle could
light a 100-watt light bulb for four hours.
That is ten hours of energy saved for a
few seconds of effort. Imagine how
many animals you could save if you
recycled on an everyday basis. The
numbers are staggering.
Before you throw out a piece of paper
into a standard black garbage can, ask
yourself whether it is worth taking a few
extra steps to help conserve. We do not
need superpowers to save the planet.

Brian Kateman is a Macaulay
Honors Student and biology major. He
also is a Jeannette K. Watson Fellow
and a Goldsmith Scholar. Send comments to the.BANNER.csi @gmail.com

Investors were already expecting
this overhaul, giving the slowing sales of
the models and stiffening competition.
According to Gene Munster, a industry
analyst with Piper Jaffray and Co., he
said "They're just trying to segment the
product line, and they're trying to get
people to buy multiple iPods.” He also
noted a rumor that Apple laid to rest
regarding a camera in the touch and also
the lack of a still camera in the Nano.
These products are already in stores
nationwide, and Apple has authorized
retailers to slash prices on the old inventory to move these bad boys in.
What have we learned today? Well,
on 9.9.09 I have learned that Apple is
going to make my day with new products. It’s kind of like my Christmas,
except without the tree or the spiked
eggnog. For you kids, you have learned
a valuable lesson: to stand in front of
your bathroom mirror and make
“Facebook Mirror Pucker Kissi-Poo”
faces without jamming out to Miley
Cyrus’ “Party in the USA” and tape it all
for YouTube on the ol’ Nano. Now if you
excuse me, I have faces to make and
songs to listen to. Goodnight, America!

Andrew DiLorenzo is a tech analyst for RadioShack and a DJ for
WSIA Staten Island, 88.9 fm. EMAIL
THE GEEK @ emailthegeekonthestreet@gmail.com. You never
know, your response could be the
Geek’s next article!

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Tips and Tricks for Getting Out
of a Bad Date From the
Master Herself
BY EMMA HERNANDEZ
SEX COLUMNIST

The word “awkward” is often synonymous with the words “first date”. As
painful and unsuccessful they can be,
only 48% of first dates end in a goodnight kiss (and whether the kiss is a
reciprocation of mutual interest on behalf
of both parties involved is debatable).
The words “I”, “want”, “to”, “kill”, and
“myself” should never run through your
mind as you’re sitting across from your
date. Neither should you have to resort
to drinking yourself numb by gulping
down the cranberry and vodka he
bought you while trying to maintain a
somewhat lady-like pose.
Having endured the single most
unfortunate dating experience of my life
this past summer, I want to impart some
advice to help other ladies (or guys) who
might find themselves in a similar situation. Here’s how to get out of a really,
really bad date.

Ways to Carry Your
Schoolbooks with Style

First Date Fail
First: Don’t make the mistake I
made. Just because you kind of knew
someone before he went away to
school, chances are that four years and
living in a small city upstate will have had
an affect on his personality and he probably won’t be the same person you
thought he was.
Second: If you know you’re not into
the person from the start, don’t lead
them on by agreeing to go on a date in
the first place. If your pursuer is persistent, then by all means, exhaust every
excuse in the book: “I got called into
work,” “I have plans on Friday, but
thanks,” or “My grandmother died."
(Come on, as long as you use a family
member who’s already dead, it’s not that
big of a deal.) If you’re comfortable with
being honest, just tell the truth: “I hate
your guts” or “You creep me out.”
If none of that works, get creative. If
they let you plan the date, suggest a
movie and get seats far away from the
dark corners of the theater, preferably in
the middle of the row. There you won’t
have to spend time actually interacting.
If you’re not in a dark corner (a prime
spot for make-out sessions), you’re
already avoiding whatever moves they

were planning to make. If things get too
unbearable, excuse yourself to use the
restroom and just leave. Make sure you
do this in the middle of the movie, not
near the end. You don’t want your date
to catch you leaving the parking lot.
Let’s say your date insists on taking
you to dinner. Call in reinforcements.
Give one of your friends a heads up
beforehand. At some point, excuse
yourself. Call your friend from the bathroom stall and tell them to call back in
exactly five minutes with an “emergency.” (If you need a ride, tell them to
wait outside with the engine running.)
When your phone rings, take the call.
Answer in front of your date, if you’re
a good liar. If not, tell them reception is
bad and take the call outside. Try not to
laugh when you feign genuine regret as
you tell your date “something came up”
or “there’s a really big emergency.” Try to
walk (don’t run) as fast as you can to the
nearest exit. You’re going to have to
ignore calls and texts from the person for
about a week afterwards, especially if
they’re concerned about what happened. But after that, they’ll get over it
and you’re off the hook.
Or, you can try my shameless

BY DANIEL WATSON
School is charging its way back into our
social lives. Let’s take the bull by the
horns and step into fall with style! Every
semester, the canvas JanSport backpack rears its ugly head. Some students
rely on this fashion NO-NO as a must-do
to transport their books, but I strongly
beg to differ! Here is an easy guide to
trendsetting with your books behind your
back, and your head in the game.

approach. My date left the planning up to
me, so I suggested we hang out with my
friends.
It started at a bar and ended with an
impromptu party in one of their houses.
As if his company at the bar wasn’t
excruciating enough (I seriously contemplated using the serrated edge of a
paper towel dispenser in the bathroom to
slit my wrists), his socially awkward banter was embarrassing. Around 1:00
a.m., I announced that I had “work really
early in the morning” and was “leaving,”
then offered to drive him to the nearest
train station. After I dropped him off, I
turned right around and went back to my
friend’s house to enjoy the party without
my date looming over my shoulders.
Mean? I know. But, as I leaned in to
give him an air-kiss on the cheek, he
snaked me and stole an undeserved kiss
good night. I was horrified, but at least
we both got what we wanted: he got his
kiss, and I got rid of him.

Kid Robot

Andy Warhol Tote Bag
Ladies, how can you study in style,
while snagging a bag that’s funky, fashionable, and functional? Betsey Johnson
has the answer: Betseyville! If you’re
going to shell out $100 bucks on a bag,
ladies, it should serve a dual purpose.
With its vintage patchwork, a large compartment for your textbooks, and its
metallic silver sheen (a trend that was
big in the 80s and even bigger now), this
bag hits a home run for this fall, and will
have you shining like a true silver dollar.
Applying art to fashion is a trend that

has consumed the fashion industry.
Paint the campus red when you step in
class sporting the latest Andy Warhol
tote bag. This company has never shied
away from pushing the envelope with its
festively decorative designs. Andy
Warhol’s painting “The Elvis” inspires
this bright yellow, classic-shaped tote. Its
vibrant color and pattern makes the figure of Elvis pop! With a simplistic design
and low maintenance fabric, this tote is a
must-have to lug around your belongings all semester long. At $39, you can’t

lose.
Here’s a little number for the fellas
out there looking to can their East Pak.
The influence of Japanese anime and
cartoon characters has become the
biggest movement in menswear in
years. Designers such as BAPE, Louis
Vuitton, and BBC all collaborated with
Japanese artists to feature specialized
versions of their signature collection
piece to adopt the eclectic style of the
Japanime culture. For a hot bag with a
cool look, try Kid Robot on for size. With
its basic and minimalist graphics, the
character on the outside implores for
attention. The purple satin lining makes
things seem a little brighter when opening it each day in class. (Guys, don’t be
afraid venture in uncharted areas of the
color spectrum.) This bag will only run
you about $89, so get it while it’s hot!
There are numerous options that can
serve as backpack alternatives. As long
as it’s fresh, fun, and you, it will make a
statement. Have fun with it, and be creative.

VIN FORTE IS NOT FUNNY

[HUMOR SECTION]

Indie Band Hits Big;
Loathes Self

Photo by rcrdlbl.com

North Shore Band on Track for Success; Woe are They.

BY VIN FORTE
PITCHFORK SNOB

What do you do when your band has
amassed 95,000 web hits on MySpace,
has been featured as “Best New Music”
on Pitchfork Media, and is on the verge
of playing the ATP Festival in London
this Fall?
Run far, far into the obscurity of
Stapleton.
The band formerly known as The Gay
Blazers, now known as Flaming Knights,
has blown up across the Internet on
blogs and social networking sites—all in
the span of the past three months.

Lead singer and bisexual heartthrob
Justin D’Augustino describes the band’s
franticly fast-moving success as
“Horrible. I can’t believe this is really
happening. Our melodies are crooked,
our lyrics arbitrary and full of obscure
Radiohead references, and our mascot
is a giant Rip Taylor cut-out wearing a
hockey mask.
With a sound equivilent to Thom
Yorke, Jay Reatard, and LCD
Soundsystem, all blended with Brian
Wilson production, Flaming Knights
have come a long way from practicing
for siblings in drummer Dave Gilman’s

Humor Correction

basement.
“I want to kill myself,” said Gilman, 32,
of Eltingville. “Why do people like us? I
hate that a lot of people find us enjoyable enough to pay to see us perform at
MSG next month. Now we have to tour
on a bus and it’s really cumbersome. I
mean, we’re a serious band [EXPLETIVE], we shouldn’t have to work this
damn hard for bountiful results!”
During their last hometown show at
The Cup in Stapleton this past
Wednesday, the Knights cursed their
fans and scolded them for their everlasting support and devotion over the past
12 years.
“Why the [EXPLETIVE] do you like
us?” Said Ritchie Goddard, the band’s
bass player, “Who the hell do you think
we are, Green Day? Do we have
‘Timberland’ production and Lady GaGa
pizazz?”
Getting ready to take the dank, wooden stage in the backroom of The Cup, all
three members could be seen smoking

hand-rolled tobacco and sipping Pabst
Blue Ribbon in a backstage ritual dating
back to their early days.
“We just want to be trend-setters,”
said D’Augustino. “I was the first teen on
Staten Island to popularize the use of
hand-rolled tobacco. Now every Tom,
Dick, and Gavin does it; It makes me
sick.”
Strong words from a man who seemingly subscribes to a policy of damned if
you do and damned if you don’t.
“I hate you.” Said Goddard after being
pressed by The Banner for comment on
their upcoming European tour.
“We hate capitolism.” Said Gilman,
“All we want to do is make music for ourselves..I’m not exactly sure why we play
for people; I guess we..wow..I’ve never
really thought about it. Why do
we....wow.”
After pondering that thought for a
week, Gilman was found dead in his studio loft of an overdose of Entenmann's
cookies and LSD.

BY DENNIS GAFFIGAN
YO PUSHER MAN

In The Banner dated 4/12/09, a student editorial stated that heroin would be supplied in vending machines on campus.
This is not correct.
Ira Perskey from the CSI Auxiliary has control of all vending machines on campus.
Mr. Perskey said, “As far as I know, heroin is an illegal substance and cannot be vended on this campus.”
He continued, “Although it would be a highly profitable item and would help increase badly needed revenue, we are unable to
vend heroin at this time.”
Heroin, LSD, and other mind-altering drugs will still be avaliable for sale in the heavily-wooded area behind 1P on Tuesday,
Wednesday, and Friday from 10:30am until 3:30pm, weather permitting.

COOKIE MONSTER
MOLESTATION CASE
DISMISSED

BY VIN FORTE
COOKIEPUSS

This past week, the case against Cookie
J. Monster, real name Cookington
Monsievawitz, was thrown out due to
lack of DNA evidence.
Monster had been charged with child
molestation and carrying a handgun
without a license.
Initial police reports had claimed that
Monster had lured two toddlers into his
neighborhood with promises of cookies
and then proceeded to fondle them until
they escaped.
Semen found at the scene of the
crime initally came up inconclusive dur-

ing lab tests, but was later revealed to be
that of Ernie Rodriguez, owner of the
local nightclub, T.G.I.Fisting.
This new discovery, while raising
questions about Mr. Monster’s sexuality,
leaves the prosecution without a leg to
stand on, thus exhonorating Mr.
Monster.
At a press conference outside the
courthouse on Monday, Mr. Monster
stated “I’m just a man who loves cookies. I’m looking to simply move forward
and put this horrible ordeal behind me.”
Witnesses have reported seeing
Monster at Nobu drowning his sorrows in
Merlot and crying into a chocolate cake.

“I actually read a lot
books, the two I liked
most
are
the
‘Outliers’ and ‘Stori
Telling.’ ‘Outliers’ is by Malcolm Gladwell and
‘Stori Telling’ is by Tori Spelling. I liked
‘Outliers’ becasue I am graduating in January
of 2010 and i found it interesting how the
author describes how people become successful. and ‘Stori Telling’ I liked because it's
almost like a guilty pleasure for me."
Hamed is majoring
in Business, and is
graduating in 2011.

"I read ‘Crime and
Punishment’
by
Fyodor Dostoevsky
because someone
told me to read it. I
am interested in
learning
about
crime."
Katherine is majoring in Psycology,
and is graduating
in 2010.
"I read ‘Beautiful
Boy’ by David Sheff
I enjoyed reading
that book because
it's a true story
about a young boy’s
drug addiction and
his father’s attempts to [save] him. It was a
very interesting read because it was all real
and also because I was able to relate the
story to a lot of what I've learned in my psychology classes."

A Few Words from The Arts Editor

BY JOHN ADRIAN
ARTS & COPY EDITOR

We live in interesting times! If you
haven’t been living in a cave or under a
rock, this is not news to you.
The Internet observes its 40th
anniversary this year. Television, as we
knew it since its beginnings in 1948, died
this year with the conversion from analogue to digital transmission and the
removal of channels 2 through13 from
the Very High Frequency (VHF) band to
the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) band
where it has been re-born like a phoenix.
Not since the movement of FM radio
from its largely experimental, pre-World
War II location on the electromagnetic
spectrum to its current place between
what were analog TV channels 6 and 7
(roughly 88 to 107 megacycles (oops,
pardon me, megahertz)) has there been
such a major revolution. Since the analog TV sets in my home are both less
than ten years old and work very well, I
opted to by converter boxes.
I can remember, when I was a child,
the
Federal
Communications
Commission (FCC) created seventy-one
new television channels, 14 through 83,
in the UHF band. People who weren’t as
affluent as my parents ran out and
bought converter boxes that could
receive channels 14-83. My parents
traded-in our 17-inch television for a 21inch set with a slide-rule type display in
the middle below the screen. We’d set
the VHF tuner to channel 3 (because
channel 3 was unassigned in Buffalo)
and then fiddle with the knob below the
slide-rule to get whatever UHF channels

were available to us.
Finally, my mother got tired of fiddling with our “rabbit ears” and had Mr.
Hibschweiler, who owned the appliance
store in our suburban village, send a
man out to install an antenna on our
roof. Well, to be accurate not an antenna, but three antennas on a mast that
was about six feet tall. The top most
antenna was a “high-band” antenna for
channels 7 though 13 which was pointed
due north so we could pick-up channels
9 (Toronto) and 11 (Hamilton). The bottom antenna, for the “low-band” channels, 2 through 6, pointed due south
toward a farmer’s field forty miles distant
where Buffalo’s only assigned VHF
channel was building a new transmitter
because it was the highest ground in the
area. In between the two VHF antennas
was what looked like a rack my mother
used for cooling cakes and cookies with
a bow-tie made of the same metal about
four inches in front of the rack. This was
a UHF antenna and it pointed west
toward Buffalo where the two (count ‘em,
two) UHF stations that were being built
would have their transmitters. All of a
sudden we went from a household with
one television (black and white, of
course) that could receive one channel
to a household that could receive three
local channels and two channels from
another country that was, “friendly, familiar, foreign and near.”
Before, we could watch whatever
WBEN-TV chose to broadcast or we
could listen to radio, or read. As if we
weren’t
sufficiently
dysfunctional
already, now we could fight over which
channel to watch.

“I read two books by Macolm Gladwell, Blink
and ‘The Tipping Point.’ I liked ‘Blink’
because it discusses an unconventional way
of receiving information. Basically Gladwell
argues that more information does not guarantee accuracy. The first two seconds that
he describes [are] something I can apply to
real life."
Michelle, a communications-journalism
major, expected graduation is 2010.

This past June, we subscribed to
one of the two competing providers of
what I’ll call wired antenna service. This
has proven to be a great blessing
because our internet connection is no
longer via dial-up. It has also given us
several hundred TV channels to choose.
Practically at whim, we can watch
“The
Honeymooners”
or
“Saint
Elsewhere” (Were Mark Harmon and
Denzel Washington really that young?)
and most of the incarnations of “Star
Trek” or broaden our horizons with “The
Graham Norton Show” and BBC World
News. In the middle of the night we can
watch our favorite daytime dramas, if we
had any.
About fifty years ago, my mother’s
friend bought a color television set. (Our
house was still monochrome.) My mother asked her what it was like and she
replied: “The color pictures are amazing.
So life like. But, the programs are just as
bad as the were in black and white.”
With the high-speed internet connection that accompanies our wired antenna
service, we can order long out-of-print
books from around the world with the
strokes of a few keys, and the postman
brings them right to our door. Or I can
read interesting, if sometimes unverified,
articles on Wikipedia propped-up in bed
while my fiancé watches “That 70's
Show.”
I love the “bad new days.”
From time to time, when current arts
events aren’t readily available for this
column, we’ll write about some older
movies, books or TV shows that we think
are worth your time and interest.

Come to the CFA for a night of non-stop comedy starring Pat Cooper, Dom Irrera, and Tammy Pescatelli.
Receive Pat Cooper's CD Our Hero (one per couple) at the
post-show meet and greet.
To purchase tickets for the show, please contact the
CFA Box Office at 718.982-ARTS (2787) or email boxoffice@mail.csi.cuny.edu.
To purchase tickets for the Meet and Greet, please
call C.T.P. Enterprises at 917.559.6965.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Linus Roth, violinist
Springer Concert Hall
Monday, October 19, 7:30pm
Tickets: Free (reservations required)
One of the most interesting violinists of the younger
generation, Linus Roth is joined with the talented José
Gallardo on piano for this one-night-only concert. This free
event is made possible through the generosity of Dr.
Michael Shugrue.
Website: www.linusroth.com

The Center for the Arts usually offers CSI student
with ID advance sale tickets at half price. Check with the
box office, 718 982-2670. When available, “student
rush” tickets are available 30 minutes before the scheduled start of a program for $5.00 –with ID-.

BANNER OPINION
BY KELLY KENNY

Dear Kelly: Advice Column

OPINIONS EDITOR

Usually, on this section of the opinion
page, I answer questions that you, the
student body, send in. I give advice. For
this edition of The Banner, the first of the
Photo by nyparkingticket.com
new school year, since I have recieved
Two:
Do
not
give in to temptation.
no new submissions, I made a list of four
There
is
going
to
be
at least one person
things I think you need to keep in mind
as you continue to get back into the in one of your classes who gets on your
nerves. We all have that one person who
swing of things.
talks and talks and talks but never says
s t s t s t s t s t s anything. Do not fall into the temptation
One: Don't believe the hype. Don't of trying to out talk them. You will not
believe a single myth you hear about the win. I also suggest not making fun of
parking authority here at CSI. It seems them when you get out of class. I have
this year they have stepped up their come to learn that whenever you make
game. (Kudos!) Contrary to popular fun of these (let’s call them " talkies") you
belief, they do give out tickets before will almost always get paired with them
10am. They do give them out after 6:30 for your final project. See the definition
pm, and they will find you if you use for “Karma.” As for you freshmen, there
someone else's name on your "Alternate are going to be one or more people in
Vehicle Parking Pass." Also, if your your class who think they’re still in high
friends have told you that leaving a pre- school. They are easy to spot, and hard
vious ticket on your windshield will stop to mistake. They're the ones who seem
them from giving you another, your so- like they've been raised by animals, and
called “friends” are lying to you. Get your are constantly yelling out "Yo, Miss!"
parking pass now! I believed in all of Please Please do not give in to thinking
these myths at one time or another and they're cool. They are not. Remember
that’s why I ended up with $150 in fines you/your parents are paying for classes
and a boot on my car. Believe me peo- now. How can you waste money in this
economy?
ple, it’s not worth it.

EDITORIAL

Three: Organize as soon as possible.
The first few weeks of classes are overwhelming for all of us. The work piles up
and you try to put it off and hang on to
summer as long as you can, but ultimately
you must give in. School is back and it
makes no sense denying it. Get a planner,
get a dry erase board, and get it together.
It will get easier once the shock of actually
having something to do wears off. Make it
that much easier for yourself by taking a
day to organize.

Photo by lairdogden.com

Four: Remember my email! I have
learned a lot in my three years at CSI and I
can definitely help. If you have questions,
ask them. If you need advice on anything,
write in. I’ll be right here, on page 11,doing
my best to make your lives a little easier.
Good luck, and Go Dolphins!

YOU HAVE A TRACHEA FOR A REASON

BY IAN FELDMAN
STAFF WRITER

For many students who enrolled in the
Fall 2009 Semester at CSI, it will be your
first experience at a college campus.
While CSI may not have the crazy antics
of college life that “Animal House” has
put into our heads, you can certainly find
the right group of people to connect and
have a fun time with. CSI offers a wide
variety of clubs and groups that you can
join and meet people. If work or other
commitments prevent you from joining
any clubs, you can still become friendly
with your fellow classmates. Incoming
students, who listen to what I say and
make it their best effort to go out and
enjoy the campus lifestyle, will have a
positive experience at CSI.
One important thing an incoming student should keep in mind is that as a
registered student of this campus, you
should not be afraid to speak your mind
about anything. Unfortunately, many of
the students who attend CSI are
unaware of the impact they have in the
college and often fail to realize that their
voice, although it may seem small, can
do a lot for our campus if our incoming
students learn to use it. As someone
who transferred from another college

Photo by allposters.com

last year, I can personally tell you that
speaking up will get you very far in this
campus and will reflect a good experience here.
When people decide to let their voices be heard, they usually think that it’s
for the purpose of reporting a crime or
making a complaint. Please keep in
mind that while these are both great reasons to speak up, it does go a lot further
than that. For example, if there is a certain club or class that interests you but
CSI doesn’t offer it, then you can make a
suggestion for it to be added. While I
cannot guarantee that every request will
be granted, if you go to the right people,

then you will more than likely have a
good shot.
Who are the right people to go to?
I’m glad that you asked this question.
There are plenty of people, who will listen with a good ear, if you let yourself be
heard. Our Student Government will be
more than happy to listen to your
thoughts and concerns about the campus. The Student Government consists
of full time students like you and it is their
job to make sure that our campus serves
the best interest of our students. As a
staff writer for The Banner, I will make
you aware that all of our writers and staff
members are also looking out for the
best interests of the students. If something concerns you on the campus, then
please do not hesitate to come to us.
I recommend that you follow these
tips and suggestions while attending
CSI. If you keep these things in mind
and speak your voice when you feel it’s
necessary, then you’re experience here
will be far times better than dorming at
the Delta House.

SEND YOUR OPINIONS OR
LETTERS TO:

the.BANNER.csi@gmail.com

Perennial
Parking
Pains

Students at CSI have been crying,
screaming, and otherwise carrying-on
about parking on this campus since the
college moved here from Sunnyside and
Saint George about fifteen years ago.
While parking has improved markedly
since that time, it still prevails as a dominant complaint among students and faculty. The administration bears much of
the brunt of that frustration. But they
should not be the sole bearer of that
responsibility.
The Dormitory Authority State of
New York (DASNY), which manages
many of CUNY’s capital projects, undertook the task of the college’s move in
1993. The college’s Campus Planning
and Facilities Management office also
“maintains a liaison” with CUNY’s
Department of Design, and Construction
and Management. Don’t blame the
administration alone for poor planning.
They are entangled in a larger bureaucratic desire to make CSI a "pretty" campus instead of a "practical" campus.
While the number of paved lots hasn’t increased noticeably since 2005,
when the college expanded Parking Lot
3, there has been a significant increase
in the number of parking spaces available in unpaved, gravel lots. But the
gravel lots are growing increasingly
crowded as CSI’s enrollment increases.
Despite the addition of painted lines to
distinguish the spots, students often
make their own spots by parking on
strange angles. This comes as prices
for parking permits have increased.
The cost for students rose to $82 for
the full calendar year 2009. Students
can opt to pay $65 for a permit, which
restricts parking to Lot 6, aka the Easy
Lot. If it provides any solace to students,
"Full Time Instructional Staff” now pays
$150 per year. Students with disabilities
or temporary disabilities, must jump
through several hoops for a special permit.
With a new president and administration, the college needs to address this
recurring complaint. The college grew to
about 13,000 students this semester. If
the administration has the ambition to
expand the student body, and its reputation in general, it will need to cope with
the fact that parking is an issue that
reflects the quality of campus life. If that
suffers, so will the image of the college,
not only by students and faculty but also
by the community at large.

- BANNER EDITORIAL BOARD

11

Official Newspaper of the CSI Dolphins

BANNER SPORTS

New Interim Athletic Director Spells
New Vision For Department

President Morales Brings
in an Old Friend for a
One-Year Stint

Photo by csidolphins.com

SPORTS EDITOR

BY DAVID GINSBERG

Photo by Ednita Lorenzo

“[Morales] has a strong view of the
department. He wants to evolve into a
Division III program of national stature.
Since we had worked together in the
past, he felt that I was seasoned enough
to give him some objective opinions on
how the program might be enhanced,”
explained Bobb.
Bobb will only be around for a year
but in that short period of time he looks
to make changes where they need to be
made and include community involvement.
With the department in need of
resources, repairs and more, Bobb will
look to involve members of the campus,

Kickoff Time

coaching staff, administration and student-athletes in all his evaluations.
“We are looking more for collaboration,” said former interim AD, David
Pizzuto, who resumed his position as
Associate Athletic Director. He continued, “take from him and learn from him
just as much as he will with us.”
Bobb comes to CSI with a great deal
of experience. Athletic director in both
Medgar Evers College (his alma mater)
and City College of New York (CCNY)
plus one of the founding fathers to the
CUNY Athletic Conference are some of
his contributions to the CUNY Athletic
Conference.
With only one year on board, Bobb
hopes to do his best. As to why he will
only be with us for a one-year term, only
time will tell how much need the president and the department will ask of him.
But as Bobb put it best, “Well
[President Morales] was my old boss,
and when the boss speaks, people listen.”

All that Matters in New York Football (Except the Bills)

SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR

New York Jets
Offense: The big question for the Jets is
will rookie QB Mark Sanchez live up to
the lofty expectations of Jets fans? If the
preseason or the 3-0 start was any indication of what’s in store, then the Jets
must be downright giddy. Besides a few
miscues against a ferocious Ravens
defense, Sanchez has been sensational.
The receiving corps isn’t amazing,
but there are some solid options. Jericho
Cotchery is a big play threat every time
he touches the ball. Second year TE
Dustin Keller should have a big year as
Sanchez looks for reliable receivers
down the middle of the field. Thomas
Jones led the Jets in rushing yards and
Tds last season and Leon Washington
has a great change-of-pace style that
can swing the momentum of any game.
Defense: With a new defensive-minded
head coach (Rex Ryan) and some key
free agency signings (Bart Scott, Jim
Leonhard), the Jets defense looks

Your Cliff ’s Notes on
CSI Sports

BY EDNITA LORENZO

BY EDNITA LORENZO
After months of waiting and ongoing
search committees, CSI President
Tomás Morales and Vice President for
Student Affairs, Jerald Jones-Woolfolk,
appointed Paul Bobb as the new Interim
Athletic Director for a one year term,
beginning on September 1st, 2009.
Bobb, a long-time friend and colleague of President Morales, was pulled
out of retirement and accepted the position this past summer. The position,
which was previously held by David
Pizzuto (from August 2008- 2009), was
offered to Bobb in hopes of establishing
a new vision for CSI athletics.
“I was more than happy to provide
any assistance that I can,” said a cheerful Bobb. “President Morales has confidence in me and I share his vision of
enhancing the department.”
The vision of which Bobb spoke of
consists of an in-depth analysis/evaluation of the department including operation, performance, repair, resources and
such.

Dolphins
Digest

Photo by glosslip.com

steady. The suspensions of Calvin Pace
and Shaun Ellis hurt the Jets, so they will
need to find help elsewhere. Expect the
Jets to look for last year’s #6 pick,
Vernon Gholston, to step up.
The Jets are in a tough division and face
some stellar out-of-division teams
(Tennessee, Carolina, and Indianapolis).
As good as the Jets look, and even after
their huge victory versus the Patriots, I
don’t see them with the upper echelon
teams.
New York Giants
Offense: The offense is a legitimate
concern of any Giants fan. With the $100
million man at the helm, you’d think that
the team would be in good hands. But
how far can the QB lead you when you
have a rag-tag bunch of receivers

(Smith, Hixon, Boss, Moss, and Nicks)?
The key to the Giants’ success on
offense rests on the shoulders of RBs
Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw,
who will assume a bigger role this year
after Derrick Ward signed with the
Buccaneers.
Defense: The loss of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo hurts, however,
with the return of Osi Umenyiora, who
missed all of last season, it’s hard not to
be optimistic of a defense that was
already one of the league’s best. There’s
no reason to think that they won’t come
through like they have in years past.
The Giants play in the toughest division in football, however they luck out
since they get to play the AFC West and
NFC South, who are riddled with question marks.

SPORTS EDITOR
Weeks into the start of the new semester, the fall sports teams have already
mingled with some top competition.
Here’s a quick look at what is going on in
your own backyard.
WOMEN’S SOCCER:
Coming back as defending CUNY
champions, the Dolphins look to add the
6th title to the shelf. Standing at 2-2-1
and returning with a record of 8-7 last
season, the team looks to better that and
take down their opponents.
The Dolphins began the season with
a three-game scoring slump, losing to
Drew University (0-6), Mount Saint Mary
College (0-7), but tying against CUNYrival, City College of New York (0-0).
Though scoreless in these match-ups,
the Dolphins didn’t give up. The team
turned things around in the third week of
contest with back-to-back wins—first
with Polytechnic University, 5-0, and
then with the College of Mount Saint
Vincent, 6-1.
The Dolphins will now be challenged
with several more non-conference
match-ups and three more CUNY
Conference contests. Let’s see how far
the team will go this year. Action will run
into late October and championship slated for the first week in November.
MEN’S SOCCER:
The men’s team looks to make a
huge comeback after ending their season at 4-14-1 in 2008 and losing in the
CUNYAC quarterfinals to Brooklyn
College. With just five returning players
from last season, and starting a bench
full of fresh faces, second-year head
coach, Armen Simonaints, has a lot of
work to get the men ready for tough
CUNY-rivals.
Standing at 2-9, the team can only
go up from there. Tough losses against
nationally ranked Montclair State
University, two hard tournaments at
Drew University and Jersey City
University, the Dolphins are showing that
they can play on the same level but need
a lot of work.
The team finally got on the board
with a score of 1-0 agaisnt Lehman
College. The Dolphins will look to retrain
the rest of their opponents after the hard
beating they withstood.
Post-season is slated for the last
week of October and will run straight to
Championship day in the first week of
November.